These Are The 5 Foods That Will Give You The Worst Body Odor

Whether it's vehement halitosis, shameless nose-picking, stinky feet or smelly clothes, there's a pretty long list of vom-inducing personal hygiene issues that people seem to struggle with on a daily basis.

Among the most common and most despised has got to be offensive body odor; if you've ever had the misfortune of sitting next to someone at work or on the train with this problem then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

But spare a thought for those afflicted, because it may not be just a case of forgetting to apply deodorant in the morning, and in fact, the condition can have a range of causes including medical conditions and certain medications.

However, there are also a couple of lifestyle choices that impact the vulgarity of your personal scent, such as being overweight or eating certain foods. So, what foods should you avoid eating if you want to smell fresh as a daisy, rather than fouler than a sweaty sumo wrestler after a tough match?

Well, get ready for this, because not only are they all of your favorite things, they're also the ones the ones that will stop you looking like a sumo-wrestler too.

1. Red Meat

In 2006, as part of what sounds like the world's grimmest study, women were asked to rate the smell of perspiration samples of a group of men either following meaty and meat-free diets - and it was the veggie lads came up trumps!

Although it's not known exactly why this is, it may have something to do with the fact that red meat takes longer to digest and is harder for the body to process. The bits that get left behind fester in the gut, eventually breaking down into toxins and odors that are expelled through sweat.

2. Fish

Fish has many benefits, being as it is full of protein and jam-packed with healthy omega-3 oils, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. For individuals with a condition known as fish odor syndrome (trimethylaminuria), where the body struggles to break down a vitamin called choline, fish can exacerbate and intensify symptoms.

Even worse, choline is also found in eggs, beans and peanuts, so these foods are out of the question too.

Coffee

Many of us wouldn't consider starting the day without an early morning caffeine fix, but just as coffee gets your brain going, it also kicks your sweat glands up a notch and can cause you to get super sweaty. Swap your mug for a decaf, and save the strong stuff for when you really need it. It goes without saying really that Red Bull and tea aren't much better either. Sorry.

Cruciferous vegetables

Massaged kale might all the rage at the moment, but while cruciferous veggies - also including broccoli and cabbage - might be great for your waistline, they can play havoc with your sweat glands. That's because they release sulfurous compounds which break down to create gasses that smells more than a little bit nasty - and they have to escape from your body somehow.

Fenugreek

These unassuming little seeds are often used in cooking and medicines, as well as to stimulate lactation in breastfeeding women, but they're infamous for producing a sickly-sweet maple syrup smell in anyone that ingests them.

It's mostly down to a compound called solotone - also present in syrup and rum - which can't be processed by the body and so comes out smelling exactly as it went in. Yum.

So here's the wrap up: if you want to look great but smell bad, stack up your lunch plate with a slab of smoked salmon and a side of broccoli. If not, then probably still do that, but cut back on the coffee and the steak to balance things out. Personally though, I'm taking this as permission to eat pizza all day, every day - without the pepperoni, of course.